What's Important
by 42 Riley
Summary: After the happy ending comes the cleanup and a last effort by the witch's supporters to destroy DG and her friends using one of the sorceress' abandoned . . . projects.
1. Chapter 1

New story, so new disclaimer. Dear SciFi, can I have Tin Man? No? Oh, alright.

Please enjoy.

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"Now that's the O.Z. I remember," DG said as she stood with her family looking out the tower balcony. The witch was gone; Az was back. It was over.

An explosion sounded from below. "Jeb!" Cain shouted from behind her. She twisted around in time to see him bolt out of the room. Glitch glanced at Raw before they took off after him.

DG's feet were already moving when Ahamo's hand caught her arm. "DG, no!" he said pulling her back as she struggled to follow her friends.

"Let me go!" she demanded scrabbling on the tile. How strong was he? "I have to help my friends," she said looking back at him while still trying to free herself.

"We just found out you were alive," Ahamo answered forcefully, "I'm not going to lose you again." He placed his other hand on her arm.

"You won't," she promised and stopped struggling. "Please, you have to let me go," she pleaded. Though his expression softened, his grip didn't.

Az stepped forward, "She's right, Daddy. We have to help."

Her mother placed a hand on Az's shoulder, "No, Azkadellia. One of the resistance fighters might recognize you and attack you believing you to be the witch." This made her sister hesitate. Another explosion went off. DG gritted her teeth. This wasn't the time for a family discussion. What was really important . . . was protecting her friends.

"I'm sorry," she said and slammed her heel into Ahamo's shin. He released her instantly. She twisted as she fell backwards, so by the time her foot hit the floor she was sprinting out of the room.

"DG!" she heard her parents shout behind her, and it sounded like her father was already following. She put on more speed. By the time she got to the end of the hall, Ahamo was only twenty feet away, and a group of alchemists were rounding the corner.

She broke through their surprised ranks and left them for her father to deal with. One flight of stairs down, another hallway, two flights of stairs. A series of shots rang out as she slid to a halt. She was just entering the prison level where Toto had freed her. Peering around the corner, she saw a group of resistance fighters had been halted in their attempt to free prisoners by a squadron of longcoats. The two sides were shooting at each other. She was behind the longcoats and could see resistance fighters dart from behind walls every few moments to fire off shots. A resistance fighter went down clutching his side. A blond man reached out and pulled him to safety as a bullet hit the wall near his head. Jeb!

DG looked around. There was nothing to throw, and she'd be shot down as soon as they knew she was there. She glanced around the corner again. Beside the longcoats was a series of pipes. She closed her eyes, focused her magic, and twirled her finger. One by one the washers and bolts sealing the pipes twisted off. Steam sprayed the longcoats, and several of them screamed. Underneath the pained yells, she heard flesh sizzling. Don't think about it. Some of the longcoats were getting back up. She used her magic to unscrew the bolts on the cell doors. "Jeb," she called out from her hiding spot, "keep your fighters back!"

The cell doors hovered for a moment then slammed the remaining longcoats against the wall. When she looked around the corner, most of them were lying unnaturally still. Her body went stiff. Oh God. Her stomach didn't feel right.

"DG," Jeb called out making his way to her. He stepped carefully around the cell doors and the men they covered. A few groans followed him. Peeking cautiously from behind their hiding spots, the resistance fighters eyed her and Jeb. "Did you do that?" he asked carefully as he nodded his head toward the longcoats.

"Yeah," she answered. She could taste bile in her throat.

He stared at her face silently for a moment, "What happened to the witch?"

"She melted," she murmured, and because resistance fighters were beginning to cluster around the two of them, she explained, "I pulled my sister free of the witch, and we trapped her in the beam locking the eclipse in place. When it got cut, she melted."

"She's dead then?" a fighter asked incredulously. DG nodded. The group sagged in relief.

"And the emerald?" another fighter asked. DG's hands fisted. Az had thrown the emerald off as soon as the witch had dissolved completely. She'd stared at it in horror and shame, so DG had picked it up, knocked it out of its holder, and slipped it into her pocket. Their parents hadn't even noticed that neither one of them were wearing it when they entered the room. Reluctantly, she pulled out the emerald now and held it on her palm for the fighters to see. There were several gasps. They all stared in wonder at it.

Jeb lifted his eyes from it to look at her. His expression was making her nervous. "DG, I need you to put on a show."

As she was hustled down through and out the tower, DG tried not to panic. It wasn't that she didn't trust Jeb. She'd known him for fifteen minutes, and most of that time had been Cain introducing her and planning battle maneuvers. She hadn't known him long enough to form an opinion of him beyond him being Cain's son. However, his father seemed to already have explained who she was and what she was doing, and Jeb hadn't questioned him. He seemed trustworthy, and he _was_ Cain's son. She didn't like his plan though.

She was supposed to make a brilliant display of possessing the emerald while declaring that the witch was dead. In order to do this, she would have to stand in front of the tower where everyone could see her. And where all the longcoats could shoot at her. Jeb had assured her they'd provide cover fire for her, and one of his men had added that as soon as the resistance fighters saw Jeb with her, they wouldn't shoot. This made her feel minutely better; unfortunately, minutely better wasn't helping much.

She still couldn't erase the memory of the dead longcoats, and they'd passed several more bodies and had added some to the count as they encountered groups of the witch's supporters.

The man to her left collapsed the moment they got outside. Something warm and sticky sprayed her cheek. Jeb pulled her to the ground as his fighters began shooting. A rumble passed under her feet after another explosion sounded. Jeb was staring in that direction. She followed his gaze to a group of fighters running away from the tower. Several of them fell. They were being chased by a swarm of armed longcoats. She swallowed, forced her light to focus, and waved her hand. A nearby turbine ripped itself off the ground and soared after the longcoats. Those in back turned and screamed. It hit them with a thud. As in the tower, most of those who'd been hit didn't move once they'd fallen. Jeb was staring at her now, a strange intensity in his eyes. He grabbed her hand and stood up. Her legs wouldn't move. Those men were dead. "DG," he hissed pulling on their joined hands, "we have to stop this."

She nodded dumbly and used her free hand to push herself up. Jeb dragged her down to field. She had to concentrate. They needed a display. Something that said she was in charge and powerful. Those men weren't moving! No. Focus on the display.

"DG, Jeb, get down!" Someone yelled. That voice was familiar. Jeb was already yanking her to the ground as three shots rang out from behind them. She saw a longcoat that had been aiming at her crumple to the ground then a pair of boots and a duster came into view. Cain squatted next to them. "Get behind that generator," he bit out.

Jeb towed her behind it. Cain walked backwards after them with gun raised. He fired two more shots. Another longcoat fell. He ducked in with them. "What are you doing out here DG?" he growled at her. She shrank back against Jeb. The tin man had never yelled at her before.

"Dad, she needs to – " Jeb began.

Cain cut him off, "Not now, son!" His eyes whipped back to DG, "I told you to take care of yourself." She opened her mouth to answer. Thuds sounded in front of the generator. Cain aimed his gun; Jeb pulled out his sword. Glitch and Raw appeared.

"DG," Glitch beamed, "I thought you were with your family." Another explosion rumbled.

She glanced around at the men surrounding her. More of them should be standing. What was really important was saving the people you love. She'd resurrected Finaqua, escaped from a coffin, and faced down a five hundred year old witch. The emerald pulsed in her pocket. She fisted a hand around it, and before anyone could stop her, she walked out in front of the generator and blazed white.

"Stop," she commanded. She'd only spoken it, but it echoed across the battlefield. Despite the glow surrounding her body, she could see clearly, and all across her vision men and women had stopped moving, resistance fighters and longcoats alike. They were all staring at her. "The sorceress is dead, and her plan to bring eternal darkness to the O.Z. has failed. If you doubt me, look up." She pointed towards the suns moving away from the moon; hundreds of eyes turned skyward. "Zero has been captured; the tower has been liberated. The sorceress' reign is over. All of her supporters are to surrender," she paused only a moment and then added in a deadly calm voice, "now."

Longcoats started dropping their weapons as resistance fighters surrounded them. DG let the light die down. The backs of her thighs were screaming where they'd slammed into the tower railing during her fight with the witch. Her body seemed to have tripled in weight, and she sagged. Jeb was staring at her in awe; he started to bow, "Princess – "

"Don't," she snapped. He stood up. Cain and Glitch were staring at her too; Raw looked nervous. "We need to get the wounded inside," she said wobbling a little. "The alchemists probably have medicine we can use. We can put the witch's supporters in the cells." They hadn't moved yet. "Guys," she said wearily. That did it. Jeb left to issue orders to his men. Glitch strode forward and pulled her arm round his shoulder.

"Let's get you back inside too," he said. Raw and Cain walked on either side of them; the tin man holstered his forty-four but kept a ready hand on it.

They had barely re-entered the tower when resistance fighters started to approach them. To her acute embarrassment, most of them saluted or bowed to her, and they stood awaiting orders. As the wounded filtered in, Raw started healing them. He disappeared behind the growing number of patients. Those unhurt or not seriously injured came to DG, and she found herself directing the management of the tower and everyone inside.

She started to explain that she wasn't in charge to several of them, but they interrupted her with requests. Turning to Glitch or Cain when she wasn't sure, she issued orders. Her mind was buzzing. This was wrong. They shouldn't be treating her like a . . . like a princess. Oh no.

After awhile, she began to wonder why her family hadn't made an appearance yet. A stab of panic sliced through her as she remembered the alchemists she'd left for her father; she ordered a couple of fighters to find them since there were still too many people coming to see her. She glanced at Cain and Glitch who stood sentinel on either side of her. They'd put on diplomatic masks, so she couldn't tell what they were feeling. It made her feel strange. These weren't the men she'd traveled with, and even her own body felt alien to her.

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Don't worry, DG and co. are still themselves, and Vy-Sor and Zero will make an appearance soon.

A warning in advance, I'm moving to a new country, so this story will be updated slowly due to uncertain internet connections. Hopefully, I'll get a few more chapters up before I leave.

Leave a review. I love 'em.


	2. Chapter 2

One of the men she'd sent to find her family returned with Ahamo. He'd run up, hugged her, and had explained very quickly that he'd been stopped by the alchemists and had been subduing them. There was a purpling bruise over his left temple, and he was limping slightly. Evidently, several of the alchemists had tried to start up their machines, and he'd been preventing their attempts. Ahamo also brought news of her mother and sister. Lavender Eyes still insisted her eldest daughter remain out of sight until the resistance fighters knew and accepted that she was no longer the sorceress. DG agreed. She didn't want her sister killed because of a misdirected grudge. However, the queen refused to leave Az alone. After Ahamo had relayed this, he stepped back, away from the line of petitioners. The man wasn't going to assume authority. He was going to let her . . . She should have hit him with a metal rod instead of a broom.

Over the next few hours, the resistance fighters' treatment of her and her friends changed. The story of who they were and what they had done passed through the ranks, and the salutes and bows became more respectful and less awkward. Raw was a healer. He was given the most seriously injured patients, and soon other recently freed viewers began to join him and the resistance fighters' medics. DG was in charge. This idea was reinforced when even Jeb started following her orders. She had three advisors who more or less acted as her second-in-commands. Glitch answered all technical or diplomatic questions, and the two Cain men supplied tactical plans. They sent runners to the guilds, Central City, and other resistance camps to relay the outcome of the battle. DG had a feeling part of the message would be that she was the new ruler of the O.Z. She hadn't said that, had tried to deny it, but everyone assumed it anyway. Grrrr. And she couldn't stop helping now. Could she?

It had been dark for hours by the time the pressing issues of the battle and the tower had been resolved. Ahamo had left half an hour ago to return to his wife and elder daughter. At least he'd stayed that long. Raw had passed out on one of the hospital beds meant for the wounded. All the seriously wounded fighters were stabilized. Cain and Glitch still hadn't left her side, and Jeb was currently standing with them.

She walked into a nearby room and leaned against a wall. How was she still standing? That morning she'd been riding in the balloon with her father still following the pointer to the emerald. She'd still been afraid that her friends had been captured or killed. That morning, no one would have taken orders from her. "I think there's been a misunderstanding," she said eyes closed. "I'm not in charge." When no one spoke, she opened her eyes. Jeb was sitting on the floor leaning against the wall. Glitch was still standing but was like herself was relying on the wall for support. Only Cain stood erect and alert, but the fatigue showed round his eyes and mouth. None of them had the energy to argue with her. "You should get some sleep," she said pulling herself off the wall.

"What about you?" Cain asked.

"She'll sleep too," Glitch answered for her, "I'll stay up in case there are any more problems. My noggin may be disconnected, but I still have annuals of experience of advising the queen." He'd spent the last several hours proving that, but she wasn't going to say it.

"I'll relieve you in a few hours," Jeb volunteered. His eyes kept closing.

"And I'll relieve you," Cain added.

DG sighed, "I'll play politician tomorrow," and because she still had some stubbornness left, "but I'm still not in charge." Three pairs of tired eyes looked at her then looked away. Cain helped his son up, and the four of them left the room. Glitch took a seat where they'd been standing earlier.

By silent consent, she, Cain, and Jeb entered another room where makeshift beds had been set up for the fighters. None of them were willing to make the trek upstairs to search for a real bed. Jeb passed out on the nearest mat. She sat down on another. "Mister Cain," she began.

He sank onto the bed beside her, "DG, I think you better drop the formality."

Instead of arguing, she nodded tiredly, "What should I call you then?"

"Wyatt," he answered. Like his son, his eyes began to close repeatedly.

She nodded again. She needed to say this before she could sleep. "Wyatt?"

"What is it, DG?"

"I'm a princess."

"Yes, we established that several days ago," he said with a bit of annoyance as he leaned against the wall.

"I'm starting to realize what that might mean," she looked down at the makeshift mattress. It was lumpy, and she'd slept on the ground most of the week. However, she'd have a grander bed tomorrow; her stomach clenched.

"I know," he answered gently.

She looked up at him, "Wyatt, don't leave me."

"I won't," he answered.

"DG." Someone was shaking her. She forced one eye open. Jeb was staring down at her. She turned on her side to see Cain still asleep beside her. When he was unconscious, some of the severity left his face. DG turned back to Jeb.

"My shift isn't over yet," he explained. Looking at her face, he continued, "I've just received some news. The sorceress' advisor has escaped." At this, DG bolted upright. "I have some men looking for signs of his trail, so they can track him. They haven't found anything yet."

"What do you want me to do?" she asked standing up. Cain shifted but didn't wake.

Looking down at his father, Jeb brought his voice down to a whisper, "I don't know. Unlike Zero, Vy-Sor was never very visible. He was the sorceress' shadow, but no one seems to know the extent of his knowledge."

DG whispered too. Cain rarely slept, and this news would keep him awake for days. It was a sign of how exhausted he was that he wasn't stirring now. He might even insist on tracking the man himself. "What do you know about him?" She had a vague recollection of the man standing on the edge of her vision, watching her as the witch played her mind games. He'd had a blank face; she shuddered. He could know a great deal.

"Nothing really. Just that he served the sorceress almost since the start of her reign and that he was almost always with her. No history beyond that, at least we haven't learned anything yet, no known family, nothing."

DG nodded her head. The blond looked ready to pass out. "Get some sleep, Jeb. I'll take over for awhile."

"My shift isn't over," he protested.

"But I'm already awake," she said smiling. To her astonishment, he blushed.

"Dad said you were stubborn and strange. I can see why he likes you," he replied smiling back at her as he lowered himself to her vacated mattress. His had been taken by Glitch, so hers was the only one available.

"I'm not strange," she whined. He chuckled lightly. His father shifted again. She lowered her voice, "Or stubborn." But he was already lying down, so she walked quietly out of the room. As she entered the hall, she tried to squash the fluttering in her stomach at Jeb's words. _He likes you._ Jeb hadn't meant it that way.

She'd never had a protector before and then Cain had appeared, white horse and all. And he called her Kid. He'd been angry and stoic, kind and loyal, concerned and reliable, and her heart stopped every time he reappeared in her life. Always coming to save her, always watching over her, always causing those treacherous feelings in her stomach. And he called her Kid. Life wasn't fair.

Zero collapsed on the ground in front of the suit. Trembling from weakness and anger, he sucked fresh air into his lungs and glared at the three sets of feet in front of him. Two belonged to longcoats who were looking worriedly from side to side. Their fingers twitched on their rifles. The pair of boots directly in front of him belonged to none other than Vy-Sor. "I should kill you," he bit out.

"Why?" the man asked lifting an eyebrow in surprise. "I've just let you out, and I'm your one chance for survival and revenge."

"Where is she?" Zero asked struggling to his feet. The sorceress might appear at any moment to suck his life out as she had his predecessor. As much as he wanted to carve up Wyatt Cain right now, the woman still made him uneasy. She was never satisfied, and her anger was unpredictable. He had to stay alive long enough to tear the tin man apart.

To his surprise, the advisor bent his head as grief washed over his face. Had she banished the man? "That girl," he began then stopped. His features contorted into rage. "That wretch killed her. The sorceress," again he stopped, "the sorceress is . . . gone. The royal family and the resistance fighters have taken the tower." Vy-Sor was grieving. His devotion to the witch had always been sickening. "It's only a matter of time before tracking parties are sent to capture or kill us."

"You mentioned revenge," Zero said carefully. He'd never seen the man show extreme emotion before. It was unnerving to see it now, but he'd said revenge. And besides, Cain and his son were persistent.

The advisor looked at him and straightened, "Yes, I think we should use Amy."

"That freakish little girl?" Zero asked in shock. She was the worst of the sorceress' failed attempts to gain power, and she held a bizarre and sickening affection for him.


	3. Chapter 3

Guess what I have again? Internet! Yeah! And I'm celebrating by finally posting a new chapter. I should really start a blog. Life here is so much more interesting than back home in the states. I've already gone to several festivals, managed to accidentally flash some of my new neighbors, had my first experience with the squatting toilet, eaten raw stingray, puffer fish, jellyfish, and octopus, and gotten a ride to ride on a private boat. I love it here. Tehe, tehe.

And then there's the whole trying to communicate with people in a language you only half know.

I've forgotten something.

Oh yeah, I don't own Tin Man. And I hope you enjoy the story. Thanks to everyone for the reviews. They make me feel loved, and they're in English.

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The man bowed to DG and left. Once he had exited the room, she allowed herself to squirm belatedly at the formality. It still felt strange to be bowed to, and even she was beginning to doubt her assertion that she wasn't in charge. She should have stayed with her family in the room upstairs. Well, no she shouldn't, but . . .

She was finally alone again. Light was beginning to seep in from outside. It would be dawn soon, and the last half hour had been a steady stream of supplicants and reports. She leaned against the wall and sucked in a relieved breath. At last, a rest.

Then a hand gripped her shoulder, and she went stiff and started to jerk automatically away from it. "Easy Princess," Cain said. The bite in his voice made her turn. Despite his words, he didn't seem amused or relaxed and certainly not in a teasing mood. He looked angry. At her. Why? As if she'd spoken aloud, he answered, "When I woke up, you were gone, and I couldn't find you. Promises work both ways, DG."

Her heartbeat sped up. Bad girl, she chastised herself. That way lay heartache and disappointment, yet she still stuttered a little when she spoke, "I was just about to wake you. I've been busy cleaning up after a psycho witch."

He nodded towards the doorway the man had left through, "I saw. Why're you up, Kid? It's my shift."

She explained what Jeb had told her leaving out his last comments. Cain's eyes flared. "Vy-Sor's got something planned. Don't go off on your own again," he ordered.

She huffed, "Cain, I'm in a fortress surrounding by fighters who keep coming to me for orders. I'm lucky to be alone for more than three seconds."

His eyes narrowed in annoyance. "A fortress the sorceress' right hand man escaped from and probably knows by heart. And I meant don't go anywhere without me."

Her eyes widened in mock surprise, "Anywhere? That might be a bit awkward when I need to take care of personal needs."

A blush crept up his neck to his ears. She smiled triumphantly. It felt good to tease someone, and because it was something she'd wanted to do all night and needed desperately, she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him. "Thanks for worrying about me," she mumbled into his vest as the smell of him surrounded her. Mmmm. And he only stiffened minutely at the embrace.

She heard him sigh and felt him return the hug. "Go sleep, DG. I'll take over."

She shook her head, and horror rose in her when she heard herself say, "No, I want to stay with you." His body did stiffen fully then. She searched desperately for something to say to cover up that last comment. "I . . . I . . ." Bravo, DG, that was idiotic and awkward.

"Okay, Princess," he said into her hair which caused warmth to spread from her scalp down through her body. It was unnerving to be this close to him, but it felt incredible when his embrace tightened.

Predictably, their moment was ruined by the clearing of a throat. Cain let her go and faced the newcomer, but he let his fingers touch her wrist in a single lingering contact. The newcomer was a young man who seemed to be a resistance fighter. He bowed to DG, but she noticed his eyes shift to look at Cain as he bent over. "Your highness, we found Vy-Sor's trail. It led to an empty tin suit," his eyes drifted nervously back to Cain, "the one you sealed Zero in."

Zero marched down the marble hallway, and though his stride radiated anger, every few steps his feet would falter as a shiver ran through his body. Vy-Sor swept along the hallway hurriedly after him. "Remember, Zero," he said calmly yet panting a little from the pace, "it's her or a lifetime in the cells in Central City, and the Cain men may insist it be a very short lifetime."

The former general stopped. "Your ultimatum grows more annoying every time you utter it," Zero ground out. He was still several feet ahead of Vy-Sor and had not yet turned around.

"She holds a special affection for you," the former advisor added.

"And one day she might decided to stuff me in order to make me part of her bedside collection." His arm jerked at the thought, and his jaw clenched.

Vy-Sor moved to stand in front of him. "You can manipulate her; that is your shield." Zero drew in a large breath, fisted his hands, then walked back to the room he had just left.

Though it was actually well lit, the room appeared dark. It had curtained windows but relied primarily on lamps in fancy glass bulbs which placed shadows everywhere. Half the room was elevated into a stage, and marionettes, scenery, and various props were flung or hung everywhere. Sitting cross legged on the edge of the stage was a young girl, no older than twelve, and dark haired.

She seemed pale and frail, but her smile which revealed her teeth in a slightly blue glowing crescent served to warn off potential bullies. And creatures and humans alike with more than an once of common sense. When the two men entered the room, her eyes went immediately to Zero. Like her smile, they were strange and intense yet glassy.

Vy-Sor motioned the formal general over to her. Reluctantly, Zero knelt down in front of her, and she scooted closer to him. He forced himself not to twitch.

"Amy," Vy-Sor began, "we have a project for you."

"For the sorceress?" the girl asked in a high, soft voice.

"Yes, to avenge her – "

"But she left me here," she said staring at Zero, "all alone." She turned and smiled at Vy-Sor. Amy had a gift for smiles. They were like pitchforks that could stab through the abdomen to skewer the intestines before pulling them out and winding them up. The horror they caused superseded even the pain.

Vy-Sor swallowed, yet when he spoke, his voice remained calm. "You would be helping Zero too." He kicked the ex-general in the foot.

"They locked me in an iron suit," Zero mumbled with his head down. It hurt to look at Amy for any length of time.

"And they ruined your pretty face," she said grabbing his chin. He managed not to squirm, but his jaw did spasm a little. "Alright," she said giving him a glassy smile.

The next few minutes were spent retrieving Amy's things which had been locked in storage for years ever since the sorceress deemed them too dangerous to be left in Amy's keeping. A large basin of dark water was placed in front of the girl who had not yet moved. She smiled again at Zero when the basin was in position then grabbed either side of it. "Let's see these puppets then," she said, smile widening. Without rippling or glowing or even transition, the water became a window into the tower. Centered in the image were two blond men and a young woman.

The voices echoed out of the basin as they talked.

_"Have the messengers returned from the other resistance camps yet?" Cain asked his son._

_"Only two so far," Jeb answered, "everyone agrees that we need to meet, but they've all spent too much time living in fear of the sorceress to trust large gatherings."_

_"Then we'll have to meet with them individually," DG put in. It seemed logical._

_"No," Cain stated._

_"Why?"_

_"Because you wandering around the O.Z. while it's riddled with renegade longcoats is even stupider than you saying 'hey, what's that?' in the fields of the Papay," Cain answered briskly._

_"But I've got a whole reservoir of magic now. I proved that yesterday," she responded in annoyance._

_"She's right," Jeb conceded._

_Gesturing at the younger man, she nodded her head triumphantly at Cain, "See, Jeb agrees with me."_

_"No, I don't," he added, "you do have an impressive amount of power, but I agree with my father that it'd be suicide for you to travel right now."_

_Traitor. "What the hell is this? You let me go into battle against an evil witch, follow me on a mad dash across the O.Z., and treat me like a sovereign, and now you have a problem with me walking around where there might be a couple of longcoats?" They got an eye roll and a huff of annoyance._

_"You didn't give us a choice. It was follow you or leave alone to get yourself killed," Cain replied offhandedly. "Don't you dare," he warned as two pairs of Cain hands appeared to stop her progress forward._

_"The longcoats will be more treacherous and unpredictable now that they don't have the fear of the sorceress keeping them in check," Jeb added to stop her._

"Hehe. They're so fun to watch. Cute, cute, cute. They're going to be such fun," Amy smiled taking out two porcelain dolls. Their faces and body shifted in the lamplight to match the humans they were representing.

_"Then I'll make them mmmnnmmm," DG started. She couldn't finish because her whole body was thrown forward onto the younger of the two Cain men, and her lips, responding from some order that hadn't come her brain, had attached themselves to his mouth. It was actually quite painful._

_She stared in horror at Jeb's shocked eyes which were only inches from her face. She couldn't see Cain. Jeb had hold of her shoulder now and was trying to push them apart. She put her foot on his thigh and tried kicking backwards. However, despite the rest of their bodies' desperate struggles to separate, their mouths remained locked, and blood was starting to drip down their chins. She thought her teeth may have scraped his upper lip. "Glitch, Furball, get in here now!" Cain ordered. She felt two arms wrap themselves around her waist and pull her backwards. Her head didn't move even as the rest of her body was being towed backwards nearly horizontally._

_A blur of movement to the left marked Glitch's arrival. She felt the jerk as he tried to pull at the former resistance leader. A whimper of pain erupted as she felt Jeb's teeth sink into her lip. Closing her eyes as she gathered magic desperately, she opened them in a silent apology to Jeb and sent a shockwave of magic forward. Her head erupted in pain even as Jeb and Glitch sailed away, and she and Cain fell backwards and slid across the floor. She heard the tin man grunt as he hit the ground._

_She lay panting on top of him. Great, she was being controlled by the O.Z.'s version of Voodoo dolls. Somebody would get stick-whacked for this._

Amy was still smiling. The figures in the pool lay in two prone heaps, but a duet of groans was rising from the Glitch/Jeb pile. One side of her mouth jerked up further. Beside her, Zero was glaring at the image. "That's him, and his son. I'll make them pay for tricking me and for locking me up in that damn suit. Cain'll have to run out of lives eventually."

The girl turned her head to face him dropping her smile. She scooted over and heaved herself into her lap. For an instant, his body tensed up, and he stopped breathing then he followed her gaze back to the image. "This one?" she asked pointing to Cain. Zero nodded his head mesmerized. The expression on her face was unreadable. "Then this," she moved her finger to Jeb, "must be his son." Again, he nodded. In the basin, DG had rolled off Cain onto the floor, and he had managed to hoist both himself and her to their feet. It was an intriguing scene to watch. When DG had rolled off him, his hand had followed after her, and he had yet to let go. Yet the instant she was standing, he dropped all other contact as if it burned him to touch her. Across the room, Jeb had paused in his attempt to get up; his eyes flickered back and forth between his father and DG. Amy grinned again.

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Review. It makes me happy.


	4. Chapter 4

Finally, a new chapter. Sorry about the long wait, really, really sorry. I've been so remiss in posting. Turns out staying active in the community wears you out. I feel like passing out at 10 every night, and that's just unnatural. So I don't own Tin Man. The money would be nice, but oh well.

I want to shout out a plug for Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. It's only an hour and is oddly fantastic. Any series that can work a freeze ray into an unrequited love song deserves accolades. Also, thanks to everyone who has reviewed. Not only do they prompt me to write, but my quest for bilingualism aside, it's nice to get messages in English. Yay to being the only foreigner on a tiny island.

Please enjoy.

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"I've never heard of anything like this before," said Tutor shaking his head. She, the Cain men, Glitch, and Raw had gone upstairs to her parents' quarters once the shouts of 'What the Hell was that?' and the long string of explicatives had ceased. DG had burst into the room muttering, "Damn O.Z. voodoo," which had resulted in a reprimand for language by her mother followed by, "But what do you mean, my angel?" Glitch had then described the incident. Cain had glared. Jeb kept fingering his already scabbing lib while looking determinedly at the wall while DG paced. Raw, perhaps the only intelligent one, had safely hidden himself in the corner. After the explanation, Ahamo had seconded DG's opinion that it seemed like voodoo, and that had in turn had forced him to explain the Otherside religion. He smiled as he said it looking happy to have recognized it for what it was. DG wanted to smack him. Even if temporary amnesia wiped away the last forty-eight hours of her memory, she still wouldn't be able to manage the beatific smile her father was sporting. Like Jeb, the pain in her lips and jaw were providing a constant reminder of what had just happened. And now Tutor was being unhelpful right after he'd been called in to help.

"My marbles might still be in a jar downstairs, but I have brain enough to realize this is a problem," Glitch offered to the group in general. "If they can use DG like a marionette, maybe they can tap into her magic too."

DG stopped instantly. She hadn't considered that. Suddenly, the memory of the cell door smashing into the longcoats surfaced, but now the still figures underneath it bore the faces of her friends. _Maybe they can tap into her magic._ Her stomach and throat decided to switch places. After a moment, a pair of arms pulled her off the now damp and stinking floor. She was guided to a chair, and Cain's face appeared in her vision. His eyes weren't glassy. She thought she might cry in relief.

Ahamo kneeled down beside her and offered her a damp handkerchief. Cain took it and began to wipe her mouth. Her mother spoke from behind them; she sounded tense and exhausted. "Gale magic can only be used by Gale women," she said and then after a pause, "or those who control them." DG heard her draw in a breath, "But like Tutor, I've never heard of this type of magic before, and I have learned not to make assumptions about what cannot happen." DG wondered if her mother was remembering the night she'd forfeited her light.

"Maybe DG can use her magic to cast a counterspell," Glitch suggested.

"No," again Tutor shook his head, "counterspells are complex and dangerous and should never be performed without training which, I'm afraid, I was never able to give DG. Trying to work one blindly or even practice while her body and perhaps her light as well are vulnerable could have terrible consequences."

Cain turned to look at the shapeshifter and then turned back to DG with a look that warned, "Don't even think about it, Kid."

"Maybe Az might know what to do," DG said and looked over her shoulder at her mother. The queen appeared statuesque from this angle. Still wearing the light blue gown of her imprisonment and pale from her confinement and a long lack of sleep, she bore little resemblance to the chocolate haired lady from DG's still patchy memories. She seemed shrunken and half-dead. My fault, DG thought. It's all my fault.

"Your sister is sleeping," the queen answered slowly, "I know this incident is worrying, but I still hesitate to wake her. We have only just gotten her to rest, and I want her to have the relief of dreamless sleep while she is still exhausted enough to enjoy it. I fear there are phantoms already plaguing her, and they will only worsen when she wakens."

"But what if they decide to hack into people's bodies again before she wakes?" Glitch asked.

"No," DG answered quietly, "my mother is right. Az needs to sleep."

"So do you, princess," Cain said looking steadily at her. She gave him weak smile that clenched up when his hands wrapped themselves around her throat. His ice blue eyes stared in horror at his fingers as they continued to tighten around her neck. She could see the muscles in his arms are they fought themselves. Her own body refused to move. It was as if someone had rubber-banded her arms to her torso.

She didn't know any counterspells, and they might be able to control her magic. Ahamo reached into Cain's coat and pulled out his forty-four. No, DG's mind screamed even as the edges of her thoughts went blurry. "I'm sorry, Mister Cain, I can't let you hurt my daughter." He pointed the gun at Cain's back. With a crack, his arm snapped back unnaturally until it was pointed at himself. She heard her mother shout. She couldn't hear the others, couldn't hear them. Cain's eyes were begging her to stop him as the muscles in his arms convulsed. Her mind was going gray. Ahamo's finger was tightening on the trigger; his eyes were wide with shock and horror.

She didn't know any counterspells! _Just concentrate, Deeg._ She concentrated.

It felt like her body was being pulled apart from five different directions while simultaneously being thrown backwards. The scene in front of her, Cain's eyes, and his grip all vanished. The world went black.

When she woke, a wall of sound hit her, and a sharp pain shot through her arm. "Stupid tramps need to stay off the walkways," a female voice snapped. DG's eyes shot open. She saw a pair of brown ladies boots stomp away from her. A middle-aged man wearing something that looked like it belonged to the turn of the century glanced apologetically down at her. He hurried off after the boot-wearing woman.

DG sat up and rubbed her palm. Stupid high heels. She realized quickly that she was in Central City. The noise, bustle, and lights were like she remembered, yet the city seemed livelier and shinier than before. She looked around wildly before she saw something that made her body freeze. Zero.

He was grinning and jerking a man's arm behind his back. There were two other men with him. She shot to her feet and ran towards them and tackled Zero and the man he was holding at full speed. They all landed in a heap on the ground; the man Zero had been hurting was on his feet and running. "Get this crazy bitch off me!" Zero shouted trying to shove a gloved hand anywhere that might dislodge her. She hung on and swung, but before she could get a good punch in, someone had grabbed her waist and pulled her to her feet.

"You really are a zero," said a chuckling voice to her left. The arms holding her hadn't let go. They were oddly familiar. "Can't even handle a girl by yourself," the voice continued. At that remark, she twisted to see the speaker, prepared to give him a vocal thrashing. Damn arms wouldn't release her. When she finally saw him, she stared. He was . . . he was . . . absolutely gorgeous. Mid to late twenties, dark-haired, and with dark green eyes, he was a woman's fantasy come to life, and despite his last insulting remark, he was wearing an amiable smile.

"I want her arrested," Zero spat. The man's smile turned icy.

"Why?" he asked calmly. "That poor wretch you were harassing was probably her brother. I'd attack you too."

"She assaulted a soldier," one of Zero companions snapped.

The man's smile had lost all humor by now. "You made be soldiers, but you're still under our jurisdiction. So the next time you decide to play schoolyard bully with a citizen, I'll give you a timeout in one of the cells at the main station. If we're lucky, your commanding officer will do us all a favor and discharge you. Then I really hope you'll break the law."

Zero's companion blanched. Zero, though, glared at a point slightly above her head. "Looks like the star cadet finally got his badge. And they've got you on the streets with everyone else. What happened, the Mystic Man didn't want a country boy stinking up his detail?" The hands holding her spasmed for an instant.

"At least the academy didn't reject his application," said a voice to her right. Another young man, this one a dark blonde with hazel eyes. A terrible thought was beginning to surface.

In front of her, Zero snarled and strode off, his two companions in tow. "Two-bit hustler," muttered an all too familiar voice as the trio disappeared from sight.

As the men on either side of him said, "Yeah," in agreement, she twisted out of the arm lock to face the man holding her. Wyatt Cain. Yet it was a Wyatt Cain without hat or duster, without a scarred eyebrow, and at most only a year older than she was.


	5. Chapter 5

I'm so sorry. Free time has become practically non-existent, so whenever I do get it, I just want to zone out and sleep. Reviews are actually the reason this chapter is up. I'm not threatening to stop writing if the reviews stop; it's just that I feel like crap if I don't update when people review cause it means people are actually reading the story. Anyway, I don't own Tin Man, and I'll try to post at least two more chapters by Friday.

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Toto was right about terrible consequences.

"Why're you staring at me?" Cain asked looking at her as if she'd just escaped from an asylum.

She cleared her throat and looked at the darker blonde beside him. "Sorry, you, uh, reminded me of someone."

"A past lover?" teased the handsome one. Her eyes widened as her face to on the hue of bubblegum, and she turned away from the trio and started to walk off. "Hey, hey," he continued soothingly catching her arm, "I didn't mean it. Just had to tease him," he nodded to Cain who glared, "he doesn't look at girls anymore now that he's got his mind wrapped round one in particular."

"Adora," she breathed out wretchedly without meaning to. All three men stiffened. "I, uh," she stuttered, "I mean how adorable." She ground her palm into her forehead. Argh. And then an ocean of thoughts poured into her mind. He was married or just about to be. That meant Az was still Az. The witch hadn't been released. Thousands of people hadn't yet had to suffer, and . . . she could stop it all from happening.

"Hey," Cain said holding her by either elbow as her knees gave way, "you okay, lady?" First kid, then princess, now lady, her mind grumbled. Except now she'd never meet Cain. There would be no Glitch. She'd never meet Raw or Popsicle or Mom. She'd never know what it was like to live on the Otherside. But there'd be no witch. If she could stop herself from making that mistake, her parents would never be separated, her mother and Toto would never be imprisoned, and Az would be safe. It was an overpowering thought, and even bolstered by Cain's grip, she was sinking under it. No one would have to suffer or die. "Easy, easy," he said soothingly, "deep breaths, in," she sucked in a shuddering breath, "good, now out," air came in a hiccupped whoosh. He walked her over to a shop and sat her down on a barrel.

"I'll fetch a doctor," said the blonde as Cain continued to guide her breathing. "A girl in my village had this problem. She would have spells where she just couldn't breathe right."

"I'm not asthmatic," DG stated indignantly lifting her head. "I've just had a long week. Now, if you don't mind," she shoved Cain away a bit forcefully, "I need to find the royal family." It hurt being this close to him and knowing he was in love with a living, breathing Adora and worse still knowing that if she succeeded and they ever did meet that they'd never be friends.

Assuming her family would be at Finaqua, she started walking south purposefully then stopped dead at, "Good luck. They've pulled another disappearing trick." This had come from the blonde. She turned around. Though all three men were standing with the bodies turned towards her, they were facing and talking to each other. Cain glanced once in her direction but turned his attention back to his companions immediately.

When the handsome one only nodded to the blonde, she grunted and stomped back to the trio. "Okay, what does 'they've pulled another disappearing trick' mean?"

Still ignoring her, the blonde continued, "It's the new consort. The man's trouble. The word is he's a slipper." This got him a nod from both of his companions.

"So they've what, vanished or something?" DG prompted. He was being annoying on purpose, she was sure of it.

"But the queen's a little firecracker too," added the handsome one, "the two of them would fit right in with the Unwanted. Makes you worry about their daughters – uhh," he finished as DG's heel connected with his shin. She was prevented from inflicting further damage when Cain caught her in an arm lock and dragged her back beyond kicking distance. Damn man and his damn friends with their damn mouths. He could just go get married and have his happy, perfect life and rot for all she cared. She wanted to kick herself when she felt a tear roll down her face. That was so pathetic. What was she, the damsel in distress? "Easy," Cain whispered in her ear as his lock shifted seamlessly into an embrace. Stop saying that, her mind screamed, stop looking out for me; I can't bear it.

When she spoke, she surprised herself with the flatness in her voice, "You can stop treating me like a child with a scraped knuckle. I'm not going to puddle up in tears on you." His grip tightened for an instant before he let her go. She twisted out of reach and then jumped when a hand fell on her shoulder.

"Sorry," said the handsome one, "I didn't mean to spook you. And I apologize for my earlier comment. The royal household doesn't come to Central City much, and I forget sometimes how protective those close to them are." He looked so sincere she had to bite back her own apology.

"They'll turn up eventually," added the blonde, "the queen may be high-spirited, but she'd never abandon the O.Z." Except when she has to sacrifice her power to resurrect me, DG thought.

"Well, I'll go see the Mystic Man then. He's here, right?" She said daring each man to tell her otherwise.

"Yeah," the handsome one replied, "but you've got more chance of finding the royal family. The Mystic Man's very selective about who he sees."

"Fine," she said stomping off again, "then I'll just yell in his general direction until he agrees to see me." All she wanted to do was prevent numerous atrocities from happening. Why couldn't the universe cooperate? She shrugged off the hands that tried to stop her and weaved her way through a crowd before realizing when she was halfway through that she had no idea where she was going.

"Come on," Cain said reappearing next to her and grabbing her hand. "If you insist on making a fool of yourself, at least get to the Mystic Man before you do it."

"This ought to be entertaining," said the blonde as he materialized to her right from the press of bodies.

"My first day off, and I get to spend it playing tourist guide to a loon," muttered Cain, "I only wanted to see my fiancé." He didn't notice when her pace slowed a bit.

When they arrived at the Mystic Man's home ten minutes later, DG finally understood the extent of DeMilo's comment. The witch really did throw the man from grace. His home was, well, awe-inspiring. It pushed grand to the very border of being tacky and stared defiantly at other crossovers from the safety of acceptability. There were guards. They seemed to recognize the men with her and let the four of them enter, but a second set of guards, without moving, wore expression that stated, no further.

Perhaps in response the dark turn her thoughts had been taking, her mind shifted into mischief mode out of necessity, and an idea crept deliciously to the forefront of her consciousness. She started towards the two guards and hopped over them when a miraculous bit of clumsiness hit both of them at once. After throwing around so much metal during the fight, she'd gotten rather adept at moving things.

She was up the stairs before anyone could stop her. Throwing open the door at the top of the stairwell, she came face to face with a slightly younger and much more terrifyingly intense Mystic Man.

"A woman who enters with _gale_ force. How puzzling," he said keeping constant eye contact with her. "If I hadn't been assured I knew all the little Lights of the O.Z., I might wonder about that little scene downstairs." Before she had time to ask him how he could possibly know whatever he knew, Cain, his companions, and all four guards came rushing through the doorway. "Gentlemen," he said with a voice that had diamond hard undertones, "you won't mind waiting downstairs of course. I seem to be due for quite an intriguing chat."

The men stared at each other, stared around the Mystic Man, stared at her, and started very slowly back down the stairs. Her new companions were last, and she couldn't stop the warmth that spread through her when all three cast concerned last looks back at her. "Do sit down," he said after the door closed behind them. He sat in a plush armchair and tapped the armrest as he spoke, "I find the cosmos have a curious sense of timing. Whenever I feel on the verge of tedium, they introduce a new conundrum for me to puzzle over." He folded his hands, and her mouth without waiting for her brain began to tell him everything.

It took surprisingly little time, but then she didn't stop for breath much. She hadn't left much out either, so she was confused why even a man like the one sitting before her was showing no reaction beyond mild interest to story that involved his death. Really, who responds with disinterest when they've been told their soul's going to be sucked from their body? "And why," he asked calmly after a minute of silence, "do you want to change the future?" She looked at him dumbly. "Ah yes, the mind races to comprehend, I mean why do you seek to change that which you may not be able to change?" Again, her look contained only muteness and incomprehension. "I shall further simplify then though I am a bit disappointed that such a childlike explanation is necessary, you are here because of your actions as a young girl. Prevent those actions and you may prevent your presence here at this moment. That would prevent your prevention and so on and on round the circle of cause and effect. Consequently, consider instead this alternative thought. Your magic brought you here. Why? To learn. To learn what? That is what you must learn."

That was still unnecessarily cryptic. "I'd still like to try to stop the witch from escaping," she answered finally. "Will you help?"

He considered her, "I will help as far as I have been told I will help." Her shoulder sagged in defeat. "Cause and effect, my dear, and every effect becomes a cause. Remember that before you try changing that which has been effected. There is the chance that you could succeed and prevent a desirous effect from happening later on."

"I still have to try."

"Then you must try," he answered.


	6. Chapter 6

Behold, a new chapter. It's only been months. I promise I didn't die, and I hope you enjoy.

Oh, and despite the long pause, Tin Man's still not mine.

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Seven men stood up for them as she and the Mystic Man entered the room, and she saw her companions' eyes flicker warily between herself and the man beside her. "Ah," began the Mystic Man, "tin men, excellent, just the kind of men I need. You, deputy," he gestured at Cain.

"Wyatt Cain," she added offhandedly.

Cain stopped mid-approach. "How'd you know his name?" the younger blonde asked, "I didn't think we'd even introduced ourselves."

The Mystic Man's eyes were twinkling with silent laughter and interest. She didn't know people's eyes could actually twinkle. "Uh," crap, crap, crap, she started scanning the three tin men head to foot, name tag, badge, it's has to be there, aha, "I'm psychic," she said triumphantly. "My inner mind powers told me that his name is Wyatt Cain, yours is Nathaniel Cross, and yours," she pointed at the handsome one, "is Rhys Gatwick."

Nathaniel looked at her in shock, Rhys in muted surprise, the Mystic Man's guards on the verge of applause, and Cain in annoyance. "She read the names off our coat collars," he said flatly. Damn him, she thought, he wasn't supposed to realize that. She came down from her brief victorious high.

"You really know how to obliterate the moment, don't you?" she snapped back and glared at him. His face pinked slightly in mild shame which only served to make her feel awful. As she shuffled a little, the Mystic Man moved passed her. "Which one of you holds the most authority?"

Rhys took a nervous step forward, "I do, sir, Lieutenant Gatwick." She quirked an eyebrow up at the sudden arrival of his embarrassment. Was the Mystic Man really that revered here?

"This young woman is Gail Theodora," she gaped at the man. Was he trying to give her away? The Mystic Man continued despite the open-hinged jaw syndrome she was experiencing. "She's on an intriguing mission. See that she stays safe while she's here."

"You mean while she's here in Central City or here in the O.Z.?" Nathaniel asked.

The Mystic Man smiled. "As long as she remains in your company," and at the pointed looks the three tin men gave him, he added, "it will be quite obvious when she is no longer in your company." This remark was greeted with another pointed look. He ushered her forward like a parent offering up their child on the first day of school. "Good day, Lieutenant. Deputy Cain, you should try re-submitting your application." He did not look at DG as he said, "You never know what the future may bring."

They'd been traveling for three hours, and she had spent the time talking to Nathan and Rhys. Cain was avoiding her. She couldn't really blame him. Engaged men who were in love with their fiancés shouldn't be comfortable with the stalkeresque stares she'd been giving him, but she couldn't help it. It was Wyatt Cain, a Wyatt Cain her age who didn't have a shadow of long grief and suffering haunting his eyes. It was a Wyatt Cain who smiled and laughed and teased his companions without hesitation. "You know staring is impolite, right?" asked Rhys from beside her. He was smiling. The man had the most wonderful smile.

"Sorry," she blushed, "he just – "

"Reminds you of a not-lover you used to know," he finished teasingly.

"Yeah," she grumbled and, changing the subject, asked, "so how do you know Zero?"

The smile fell, "You mean where'd the animosity between us come from?"

"No, instinctive hatred requires no explanation," she stated matter-o-factly. "Where did you meet him?"

His face hardened, "I have the misfortune of being his cousin." She stopped dead at that. It couldn't be. This person couldn't share a gene pool with that bastard. "It's true," he said calmly pulling her back into a walk. "We're the lower end of what you might call the gentry. For centuries, it's been the custom that if you want to serve the O.Z. and its people, you become a tin man, but if you want a cushy title and a decent wage, you become a soldier. It will shock you to learn most gentry became soldiers. While I was growing up, I fell in with the wrong crowd," he nodded his head at Nathan and Cain who glared at him, "and decided to disappoint the family by falling into decency. Unfortunately, that was when we got a new queen who held the tin men in rather high esteem, so my moral rebellion didn't get much of an outcry."

"And Zero tried to copy you?" she asked.

"Yeah, but unlike the army that looks only at blood lines, the tin men look only at character. You can train for anything else, but cruelty's incurable. It enraged him royally when he got rejected from a group he thought beneath him."

"And Cain?" she started.

"Was a boy with more skill and less title who got picked first," Rhys finished.

"That explains a lot," she said to herself.

"No it doesn't," argued Nathan joining them on her other side, "and why do you call him by his surname while we get the privilege of first names?"

"Uh . . . his last name has fewer syllables." They stared at her for a moment before Nathan bent over laughing. Rhys smiled. Cain just walked past them.

"Never could take a joke," Rhys laughed, "always goes straight-backed and silent when he gets teased. Thinks it's stoic to ignore a good joke."

"If you're through mocking me as if I wasn't here, try to speed up. I'd like to sleep in a bed tonight if you don't mind." Cain hadn't even turned around to say it. She burst into laughter with the other two men despite herself. Being with these three reminded her of her first three companions and helped to ease the sadness of the thought that if she succeeded in stopping herself she'd never have them.

"So hanging out with Cain and Nathan made you want to become a tin man?" she asked Rhys later when they were sitting in the common room of the apartments they'd rented for the night.

Rhys pulled out his gun, fingered it for a moment then set it on the table in front of him. He seemed to be hesitating about something. Nathan was getting food, and Cain was making enquiries. After a moment, Rhys spoke, "I guess the mentality was infectious. Wyatt's a tin man to his soul, and his outlook on life once saved my sister."

She leaned forward, "What do you mean?"

He hesitated again, "Some boys were trying to . . . trying to, well Wyatt stopped them from doing it. He took quite a beating from it too, hadn't been trained yet, you see. I was away at school and didn't hear about it later. I don't think my parents ever meant me to know. Chrissy made them nervous; she used to make a lot of people nervous." He took a long breath and continued, "Well, when I got back she told me about this boy who'd helped her, and I never could stop thanking him for it."

Something was bothering her, "Why would she make them nervous?" she asked gently trying not to upset him.

He looked at her then, "Chrissy wasn't like you." At her surprised look, one corner of his mouth twitched up into a sad, half smile. "Yeah, I saw that little trick of yours on the stairs. My parents went to a scholar once who explained how Gale magic pops up sometimes in the daughters of sons of daughters of daughters who didn't become queen. You seem to be able to control your magic, but Chrissy couldn't. When she was a little girl, she'd get angry, and . . . things would happen. Pitchers would explode; things would fall off shelves. Sometimes people would get hurt. Little pains gone in an instant, sometimes a scrap that just suddenly appeared. One time though, a boy who always made a habit of treating her like a freak threw a rock at her. By the time I'd gotten to them, the boy was on the ground bleeding, and Chrissy was crying and begging me to stop it. She never meant to do any of it; it just happened." He paused, and she laid a hand on his wrist. "He lived; he's got a family and a home and everything now. At that time though, they thought he would die. After a week of seeing him in bed unconscious, his brother and friends decided to take care of Chrissy once and for all."

His hand was bunched into a white-knuckled fist, "And Cain stopped them," she finished gently. "I'm sorry, Rhys, and I'm sorry but I have to ask. Why did you keep speaking about her in the past tense?" His arm jerked beneath her. "She's gone?" she asked very softly, just to make sure.

He nodded. "After that incident, my parents kept her inside, and she let them. I think she was afraid of herself too. There was a flood that spring though, and Chrissy stopped it. It was the one time she was able to control her power, and afterwards, she just . . . just crumbled."

She put her other hand on his shoulder, "She wanted to be able to help and not just hurt. I can understand that. Even when the hurt you cause helps people you love; it still leaves you feeling wretched." They stayed that way for awhile; both lost in their own painful memories.

"You two coming down to dinner?" asked a voice behind her as a hand grabbed her shoulder. Freaked out by the unexpected contact, she jerked away, fell out of her chair, and because she'd been holding onto Rhys, she swung like a pendulum during her descent and smacked into the table in three different places.

Cursing in pain and lying on the floor, she glared up at Cain who stared down at her with a mixture of shock, worry, guilt, and amusement.

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So here's the deal. It's a long weekend where I'm not terribly busy. I'm going to update anyway, but reviews would be wonderful.

As always, thanks for reading.


	7. Chapter 7

New chapter number two.

Thank you to all you wonderful reviewers especially Queen Isabella who left a lovely, long review that I probably don't deserve.

Please enjoy and review.

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"I'm sorry for scaring you earlier," Cain said sitting down beside her in the common room. During dinner, he hadn't said a word to her, and now he was being genial. Damn man. She narrowed her eyes at him. Though they were practicing decent subtlety, she had a feeling they'd decided to take shifts with her because she hadn't been left alone except to relieve herself since they'd been assigned to her, and Nathan's exit had been followed by Cain's arrival half a second later. Casual and unassuming of course. "You were talking about Christina?" he prompted.

She wasn't used to him starting a conversation, so she let go of her resentment long enough to answer, "Yeah." That'd show him, nice and eloquent.

"She was a nice girl if a little skittish, but she adored her brother."

She turned to him, "You saved her."

He shrugged, "My grandfather always said that a woman might be able to pummel ten men without a hair falling out of place, but that didn't mean you were supposed to leave her alone to do it."

"A wise man. Did this grandfather of yours have a lot of these sayings?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

A faint smile appeared on Cain's face, "Yeah, he had an answer for everything. He said tin men needed them."

"Wow," she said in a monotone, "he was a tin man? That's a shock."

"Is this sarcasm of yours a common illness where you come from or are you its only victim?" He'd said it with a strait face.

This would have earned a scathing retort if not for the fact that her brain couldn't quite process the fact that he'd teased her. Wyatt Cain. Conversation starter. Wyatt Cain. Teaser. Wyatt Cain + conversation + teasing remarks = Not Wyatt Cain.

The time in the suit really had changed him. Losing his family had changed him, and she'd been responsible for both. "You okay?" he asked reaching out to touch her when she didn't respond.

She jerked back and cleared her throat, "So you're, you're getting married. Have you got your children's names picked out?"

He looked at her strangely for a moment then shook himself back to normalcy. "Adora says I always plan ten steps ahead, but choosing names already is extreme even for me." His lips quirked slightly.

"So that's a yes?"

He gave her a mock glare, "Nothing's been decided, but if we have a boy, I'd like to name him Jeb after my grandfather."

"Ah," she stated in the manner of a wise man, "I see. Jebdiah Cain. Moralist. Tin man. Beating up bullies by the age of two. Carrying on the great Cain family tradition."

"Your mocking tone is not appreciated," he said but smiled a little as he did. She liked how easily he smiled here. "So your family was the epitome of normal then?"

She snorted, "Yeah, my sister's mentally-scarred for life, and my parents foisted me off onto a pair of robots to raise."

"I'm sorry," he said and reached out again to touch her. She still pulled away, but this time it was gentle. Why the hell did he keep trying to comfort her?

"So am I, but then I ought to be since it's my fault."

"I don't believe that's true," he replied sincerely.

"Thanks," she mumbled and got up, "but here's a lesson in life Tin Man: retroactive apologies aren't worth crap."

"Gail," he said getting up behind her. This time when he reached out, he didn't let her pull away. However, when she finally turned to face him, the look on his face wasn't of sympathy or concern but of panic, and it was focused on his hand. She turned her head and saw why. His hand was inside her shoulder trying to close on empty air.

She felt it then, a feeling like her body was being pulled in two separate directions at once, but rather than being painful, it was only disorienting. Around her a roar of sound erupted. It was as if she was under water, and people were shouting at her from above the surface. She could see Cain's lips moving in a shout as his head turned to the door, and she was dimly aware that Nathan and Rhys had joined them.

Then the world slid, but Cain was still there except now he was the Cain she knew, older but still looking at her in helpless terror. Glitch and Raw were beside him, and Az and her mother were in either corner of her peripheral vision. She thought they might be calling her name.

Pain sliced through her, and she was staring again at the younger Cain and his companions who were desperately trying to grab her. The image kept shifting back and forth, again and again, from one Cain to another until her head swam in the rocking blur, and then she was in a dark room staring face to face with Zero and a little girl who seemed oddly familiar. Zero snarled while the little girl's eyes widened in shock as her body spasmed in pain

With a final jerk, DG felt her knees knock against the floor of the common room where she and the three tin men were staying, and the pain she felt now was the grip of their hands on her arms tight enough to leave bruises.


	8. Chapter 8

"What was that?" Nathan panted. DG's head was still spinning. "You were flickering. Flickering! My damn hands went through you!"

"Ease up, Nathan," Rhys warned then turned to her. "You okay?" he asked gently. She shook her head back and forth a few times and then finally hearing the question nodded her head up and down. "I guess that will work for an answer." He let out a breath. Cain hadn't said anything; he'd just stared at her. He was still staring at her.

They were trying to bring her back, her mind realized. Her friends and family were trying to bring her back, and while a bubble of warmth rose in her at the thought, it also brought an edge of desperation to her need to find and stop her younger self. "I need," she croaked then sucking in a few breaths to regain her voice and gather her thoughts, she formed a new plan. In this time, her family would be impossible to reach before Az and her mother succeeded in yanking her back. If she couldn't stop herself, she could stop the witch. She had the emerald after all; it was still in her pocket. "I need to get to Finaqua," she said at last.

"We already told you the royal family's gone missing," Rhys explained. He hadn't let go of her yet. All three of them looked terrified of letting her go. Maybe they thought she'd disappear. Maybe she would.

"Yeah," she said looking at each of them and settling on Cain, said, "but there's someone else there I have to see."

They left before dawn and traveled for most of the day. While her companions said little to her, their eyes kept glancing at her to make sure she wasn't about to disappear again.

It was interesting how little attention all the other travelers gave her. Several said hello to the tin men. Some even walked with them for a ways, but DG herself was almost entirely ignored. She was just another person with an escort. People probably saw that everyday, the same oh-so-important stranger with a different face, but the tin men were people just like them. It made her lonely. Even in Kansas when she'd been living as a 'normal' girl, she'd never been just like anyone. And now she was a princess, or would be, or something like that.

She wondered what would happen to her if and when she succeeded. Would it be as if the her right now had never freed the witch or would she keep her memories while everyone else enjoyed the lives they were meant to have? She didn't know which one she hoped for. Maybe the her right now would just disappear, and the only memory anyone would have of her would be that of the three tin men gasping at the disappearance of their strange and brief companion. But that wasn't important. What was important was saving everyone from the lives they shouldn't have to live.

"Well your body's here, but your mind isn't," Cain said beside her. She started at the sudden noise. She nodded at him. For the first several hours of their journey, she had maintained a furious pace sustained by sheer determination, but then her mind had slowed and numbed enough to remember the dark room she'd seen before she'd been jerked back for good into the past.

There had been a little girl with Zero, and even in the split second DG had seen her, the little girl had seemed odd. Was she the voodoo master? She had been surprised by DG's appearance and had been in pain too. Did that mean it really was DG's magic that had brought her to the past? The most puzzling thing of all was the familiarity of the little girl, but DG was certain they'd never met. It made no sense.

"Hey," Cain shook her shoulder, "you're going to walk off a cliff if you aren't careful." Blinking, she looked around. There was very definite ground all the way to the horizon in every direction. She looked at Cain. "You know my meaning," he grumbled.

"Perhaps 'you might get ripped to shreds by a Papay' would have been better," she suggested finally clueing in to where they were.

"Why would a Papay eat you? Their entire diet grows on trees," Nathan said irritably. Her disappearing act had thrown him.

"Well," she stammered, trapped, "they might change their menu if the trees died."

"Gail, we got more chance of the suns not rising than we do of the Papay fields dying off," Cain lectured. She bowed her head; he had no clue how right he was.

"I don't understand," Nathan murmured more to himself than anyone, "are you an Othersider or not? I mean you have to be to not know these things, and yet you look and often act like you were born here?"

Rhys stopped and turned to her, "Are you an Otherside?" The intensity in his eyes was scaring her.

She decided to lie as little as possible. Tin men were probably human lie detectors. "I thought I was for a long time but then I found out that was a lie," she answered bitterly.

"So have you lived on the Otherside?" Cain asked.

"Yeah."

"Why exactly are you here?" Rhys questioned with the same intensity as before.

"I don't know," she said turning away, "but I'm trying to keep somebody from making a mistake."

"What kind of mistake?" Nathan asked stepping closer. They were cornering her.

"A big mistake okay," she bit out, "a freakishly huge mistake that's going to screw everybody over."

"Easy," Cain reached out a hand.

She slapped it away, "Don't say 'easy', don't tell me to calm down. Stop treating me like I'm some little lost child you have to baby-sit. I don't want your pity, I don't want your compassion, and I don't want your goddamn 'it's not your fault' speech!" She broke free of them and ran.

It was a mistake to have let the mystic man make them her companions. They were tin men. Chiseling down at a mystery till they found the truth was what they did, and it and their kindness was killing her. She'd seen what the witch and her followers would do to Cain, and Rhys and Nathan were just like him. They hadn't been there in her time, and people like Rhys and Nathan didn't just disappear when trouble started. Either they were locked in some dark cell or tin suit somewhere like Cain had been or they were . . . She stopped, and the realization of what her mistake would do to her present companions hit her full force.

The world went dark and cold, and though she was surrounded by open fields, it felt like she was suffocating. She couldn't pull in enough air, and something was stinging her cheeks.

Arms wrapped around her from behind, and her body started shaking with giant sobs. In between sobbing gasps, she cursed. She used every obscenity she'd ever heard and then started to make some up because maybe if she could let out enough expletives anger would override all this guilt. Someone pulled her hair behind her ear and whispered, "Shhh." Wyatt. She cried harder, turned around, and clung to him.

She would lose either way. Either she'd fail and go back, and the Cain who was holding her, the who could smile like the sun and tease and be really, truly happy, would be gone. She'd be the princess who had to put the O.Z. back together with the knowledge she'd caused it to fall apart in the first place. Or she'd succeed, and there'd be no Cain, no Glitch, and no Raw. She would lose herself too and grow up as the little girl who never had to learn to fight back because she'd never have the need to. "It's alright, shh, it's alright. I got you," he whispered holding her closer. "Shhhh," he said drawing a little back to kiss her forehead, "I got you," he kissed her nose, "I got you," and kissed her mouth.


	9. Chapter 9

Don't worry. I haven't destroyed the Cain you all know and love. I've just momentarily confused him. Next weekend is going to be very busy, but if I have enough incentive (reviews), I might be able to post a chapter or two during the week. I swear that wasn't a threat. Also, I know longer chapter are nice, but I tend to get lazy and then busy and not post, so I'm afraid the chapters will still be pathetically short for awhile. Sorry.

* * *

Her eyes widened in surprise before she started kissing him back, desperately, hungrily. It was fierce and gentle, sweet and intense. It was a kiss meant only for a moment and only for mouths, but it lit a little spark in her that seemed to explode all the pain that had been welling up inside her. Afterwards she was left shuddering and wonderfully empty.

She hugged him closer; he shoved her away and scrambled backwards on the ground. As he sat there panting, he reached up a hand to his mouth. "What've I done?" he asked horrified.

She glared at him miserably and wiped the back of her hand over her lips. "Obviously made a mistake which neither of us are going to make again." She stood up and strode past him. He let her, and she could see the shock and confusion still in his eyes as she passed him. What had she done? He had a fiancé he loved. He was going to have son he adored, and she was screwing with his head. Damn her and her damn feelings.

Lost in her own thoughts, she walked right into a chest. A hand tilted her head up. Those eyes. "I need to talk to you," Rhys said. Had he seen them? Why was he looking at her like that?

"Later, okay," she pleaded.

"Later," he nodded and let her move past him.

No one had questioned her after she'd returned. Cain had said nothing; he hadn't even looked at her. They'd walked in silence until just before sunset and had then gotten rooms at a small inn.

She went up to her room immediately, and no one followed her. She was grateful for that. As she sat on the bed, she realized that this morning had been the first one since the one where the witch had infiltrated her dreams that she had woken up in a real bed. She hadn't even noticed. Nathan had sat in the corner of the room all night to watch her since the tin men had still been wary of another flickering incident. In just over a week, her life on the Otherside had started to become a dream to her. She wondered for a moment whether she'd ever really lived there at all, but that was silly. This was home, or it would be in a quarter century or so.

She started laughing then though she couldn't figure out why, and the part of her still paying attention to the world around her was glad no one could hear the hysterical note in her voice. After a few minutes, the laughter gave way to ragged breaths, and when at least those calmed down too, she felt unexpectedly better and quite calm.

She had kissed Cain, she thought disinterestedly. That couldn't happen again. It had been wonderful and even therapeutic, but she couldn't let it happen again. She loved him for his dedication and his loyalty, his strength and his determination, for everything he was and would be because of Jeb and Adora, and for some reason, her presence here threatened that. She would have to go to Finaqua alone. It would be easy, maybe; all she had to do was make them think she'd disappeared for good this time.

She pulled the emerald out of her pocket and stared at it. The witch had once used it to transport her into the marble coffin; perhaps she could use it to transport herself to Finaqua. As she recalled the incident, her mind drifted back to her green prison. As in the field earlier that day, the air around her got tight and suffocating, and she dropped the emerald. It hit the floor with a clink and rolled a short way. After a moment of white-hot panic, she reminded herself that she was no longer trapped, shook her head, and bent to retrieve the emerald.

It floated up to her hand. Her brow crinkled. Had she just done that? "I'll trade you a secret for a secret," Rhys said smiling somewhat painfully and shaking his hand at the wrist.

DG stared at him in shock. "You have magic?"

He shook his wrist harder, "No, I have tricks, and that little stunt's going to sting for the next few hours. I'm not like you and Chrissy. I have to concentrate to the point of migraines just to live a marble an inch off the table. I couldn't use my power as a weapon to save my life or anyone else's. That's one of the reasons I carry a gun. More effective, you see." He sat down beside her. She rubbed her hands together till they were hot then placed them on his wrist. "Thanks," he said afterwards giving his wrist a final shake, "that feels better."

"It hurt that you couldn't stop your sister, that you couldn't save her?" she said more as a statement than a question.

"Yeah," he answered. "Now how about returning the favor. My secret for yours. Why are you here?"

She glanced at him then stared at her hands, "The truth?"

"The truth," he answered calmly.

"I'm DG, Dorothy Gale, the queen's younger daughter, or I will be in twenty years or so. There was an accident, and I wound up here. I thought I could prevent a mistake I made, am going to make. That's why I need to go to Finaqua." It came out in a rush.

"What was the mistake?" he asked, unperturbed that she'd just told him she'd traveled through time.

Her shoulders slumped, "My sister and I went exploring in the woods, or I guess we are going to go. I heard someone crying, and when we went to help them, I set an evil witch free. She's going to cause so much pain." She turned to him, "You have no idea how many terrible things are going to happen because of me." She returned to staring at her hands.

He let out a breath, "So the man Wyatt reminds you of is himself?" She nodded. Another long breath. "The mystic man sent you on this mission?"

She shook her head, "No, he said I shouldn't try to change the future when it's my past, or something like that."

"Why?"

"If I change things, I might kill the reason that sent me here."

He held her chin with his fingers and turned her face so she had to look at him. "What will that do to you, the you right here?"

"I don't know," she said softly.

With his hand still holding her chin, he leaned his forehead against hers and kissed her so gently that she wasn't sure their lips even touched. "Don't jerk away . . . please," he whispered. "I'm not blind, and I promise that won't happen again, not unless there comes a time when you ask me. Alright?" She nodded her head not quite sure yet how she felt about what had just happened. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to try," she didn't need to specify.

"Alright. I don't like it but alright."

"And," she sucked in a breath, "and I don't think it would be a good idea for Cain to continue with us."

He let out a humorless laugh. "Alright," he said simply and got up.

They left an hour later, and true to his word, Rhys showed no signs that he had or had ever wanted to kiss her. He was silent and efficient and reminded her oddly of the Cain she'd first let out of the suit. Was that why she hadn't flipped out when he'd kissed her? He had left orders with the innkeeper for Cain and Nathan to return to Central City. He had also left a message that he'd join them after he saw 'Gail' safely to her destination.

They reached Finaqua just before midday. It seemed she was back to not sleeping in beds. Ha ha. So much for being a princess. She guided them both through the maze and down the trail to the witch's cave and listened to the soft cries of help from an unseen 'child'. Rhys seemed only able to periodically hear them. Maybe it was because he only had a little Gale blood in him or perhaps it was because he was a man.

At the cave entrance, Rhys lit a lamp. When she stared at it, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"That's the lamp Az and I found in the cave," she answered.

"There are many lamps like this," he said dismissively and moved to enter.

She stopped him and took the lamp from him. "However this falls out, it has to be something I do alone." He looked uncertain. She hesitated. She had a feeling she'd never see him again, no matter what happened. She hadn't said goodbye to Cain or Nathan; it had been too dangerous. She hadn't said goodbye to Glitch or Raw, to her family, or to the future Cain. There hadn't been a chance. Even if she was in love with someone else, she wanted to be able to give one true goodbye to someone especially if this was her last chance.

"Thank you," she said awkwardly. It was the first time she'd said goodbye to someone in the O.Z. without the threat of longcoats trying to kill her.

He gave her a small, one-sided smile, "I thought that was my line."

"I didn't do anything," she protested.

"Yes, you did. You help people all the time; you're just too focused on your own guilt to realize it."

She huffed, unconvinced, and he laughed. While he was still laughing, she leaned in and kissed him. It was a thank you and a goodbye, and she gave it to him because she knew he wanted but would never ask for it. She gave it to him because it felt good to be loved and protected and because he was a good brother and a better friend. She gave it to him because if there had been no Wyatt, things might have been different. He stared at her in shock for a moment then started kissing her back, but he did so gently as if he knew he could go no further.

She pulled away slowly, and he let her go. "Be happy," she said.

"You too," he replied and stood there as she turned and entered the cave.

She hadn't gone far when her hip began to burn. Looking down, she saw a glow of brilliant green light erupting from her pocket. She reached in and pulled the emerald out. It burned, but she held on. What the hell was happening? It was then that the underwater roar from before returned, and her body felt as if it were being ripped in two while also being spun. No, she thought turning towards the direction of the ancient stone head. No! Not now. The lamp fell through her hand, hit the floor, and spluttered into darkness, and with a final slice of pain and dizziness, she landed in a field on the edge of a makeshift camp.

It was daylight, and walking away from the camp and towards her was a man. A man with piercing blue eyes under a familiar fedora. She saw the change in his eyes the moment he saw her and watched him freeze mid-stride. "DG."


	10. Chapter 10

Still don't own Tin Man.

Oh look, it's an update AND a decently long chapter. Venus might just switch back from a retrograde spin. If that last comment made no sense; don't worry, you are not alone in your confusion. Seriously though, I'm going to try to lessen the time between updates. Breadcrumbs in the form of reviews help; I promise they do. As always a bow of gratitude to those who have and will leave them.

Sorry for all the confusion, but the thing about time travel is that if you can understand it immediately you are not doing it right. The nest few chapters will, hopefully, clear up a lot of things.

Thanks for reading.

* * *

"DG," he said again without moving.

"Wyatt," she whispered so quietly it was impossible that he could have heard her, yet he started moving forward slowly and hesitantly. He stopped two feet in front of her and just stared. She stared back, confused, unnerved, and increasingly annoyed but at what exactly she wasn't sure.

"DG," came the trance-like utterance again.

"Did somebody shave off one too many of your IQ points while I was away," she snapped. She supposed the stress and oddness and just plain rottenness of the past week had finally broken through her patience, and she'd never had much to begin with.

His face broke into a relieved smile as he enveloped her in his arms and then let her go. Their hugs would always be awkward it seemed. "Good," he stated. She looked at him quizzically. "When that sarcasm of yours surfaces, it generally means there's a break in our troubles. Less chance of you disappearing on me." At that his face darkened. "Come on, we need to get you back to your family," he continued using the cold, distanced tone from when the had first met.

She dug in her heels when he tried to pull her up and forward. "No," she said slowly. He gave her an exasperated glare which she returned. "I'm confused. You're confused, or at least you look confused," she added when he narrowed his eyes, "and before we move, one of us needs to be less confused. Let's start with me." His jaw clenched in a clear sign of fraying patience, but he nodded. "Good, first question. How long have we known each other?"

He tried pulling her forward again, "DG, we don't have time for this."

She yanked herself free and crossed her arms. "Humor me."

His jaw twitched. "About a week," he said through gritted teeth.

"Okay," she said nodding, "and were you in a metal suit when I found you?"

"Yes," he answered, jaw still clenched.

"Because an evil witch, that I set free possessed my sister and used her to take over the O.Z., locked you up?"

"DG," he growled.

"I said humor me," she snapped. "This is important, okay."

He relaxed minutely. "Yes," he answered finally, "she sent Zero to torture me and my family and then forced me to re-watch it continuously until you let me out. Anything else you want rehashed?" he bit out, but she was already five feet away taking her rage out on the nearest tree and causing some nasty bruises to her toes.

The man actually picked her up from behind and started to haul her backwards. The nerve of him! She wasn't finished with the tree yet. She wouldn't be finished till it was in splinters and her rage and misery were whittled down to dull aches. She'd failed. She'd had her chance to stop the witch, and she'd failed. She'd come back, and nothing had changed. It had been pointless. Why the hell had she been sent back then? Was this the O.Z.'s way of mocking her? Of punishing her further for her mistake? She started cursing and kicking harder as if by sheer will she could air bicycle her way back to the tree. She needed to destroy something, but the only thing her struggle accomplished was knocking Cain off balance.

He fell backwards, and she went with him. Her elbow landed dead center in his abdomen, and she heard the painful intake of breath beneath her. Instead of crying or apologizing, she just glared. It was a glare directed at the entirety of the O.Z., and if she weren't lying trapped on her back, she'd spit at it just for emphasis.

"Princess," came Cain's voice somewhere near her ear, "would you mind explaining that." It wasn't a question or request, and he hadn't let her go yet despite the fact that his voice was still breathy from the fall and her elbow.

"I hate life," she said bitterly.

"That's always a good sentiment," he said.

She didn't want to, but she laughed. It was a good cleansing laugh, and while she didn't feel good after it, she felt better. He finally released her, and she rolled off of him and helped him to his feet. "Come on, Tin Man, let's get back to wherever you were trying to get me back to."

He wasn't moving. "You going to explain what just happened or where you've been?"

She looked down, "I had an adventure. It didn't turn out the way I'd hoped. Now I'm back." With that, she started moving, and he fell into step with her, gun ready and scanning the woods for trouble. As they walked back to the camp, she asked, "Where are we?"

"A resistance camp about a day's walk south of the tower. Jeb and I have been meeting with resistance leaders. It needed to be done, and I . . . needed to get away from the tower."

"Too many bad memories?" she asked.

"Yeah, among other things," he paused and looked at her, "after I almost . . . after you disappeared . . . I don't like being useless."

She nodded her head and turned away, "I know the feeling." They walked on.

"Where were you?" he asked after a minute of silence.

"Don't ask me just now. I'll need to kick something again, and," she smiled faintly, "you're the only thing in reach."

He nodded and answered her with his own ghost of a smile.

The camp was small, perhaps thirty men in total. As she walked up with Cain, they stared at her with unchecked awe which slowly gave way to the annoying reverence they'd shown her the night of the witch's fall as she got further into the camp. She vaguely recognized most of them.

"Where's Jeb?" she asked scanning faces. He'd said they'd gone out together, hadn't he?

"At a camp a lot like this one north of the tower," Cain answered leading her onwards. "The Zipperhead thought we'd get more done with two groups."

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

He stopped and turned, "Why?"

"You just found your son, and you've already been split up again," she said.

"And that's your fault how?"

"Because –," she started when he cut her off.

"Never mind Princess, I can see where this is going, so let's just stop before we start arguing over who's guilty of what. Alright?" She nodded her head, and they moved on.

They entered a tent near the center of the camp, and he sat them both down on two makeshift chairs that were inside. "You ready to tell me where you were yet?" he asked. She shook her head. He frowned.

"Who's in charge now?" she asked after a moment of uneasy silence.

"Mostly Glitch and occasionally Ahamo."

"Not my mother?" she asked confused.

"She hasn't left Azkadellia's side since your sister woke up." He answered her questions quickly and simply; she would have to work for elaboration.

"Az and my mother, they tried to bring me back?"

"Yeah," he murmured.

"Cain," she growled impatiently.

He shrugged, "When your sister woke up and learned what had happened, she attempted to get you back with the queen's help."

"I remember," she said. "You were there."

"Yeah," he said again, "it didn't work. Your sister's been shut in her study with the mut and the queen ever since, and the zipperhead took charge."

"Is that when he sent you out, you and Jeb?" she asked carefully.

"They talked me into it. I needed to get out," she ignored the sinking sensation that statement caused. "I wanted to go after Zero, but Glitch started in on my duty and my traitor son joined him. It was his revenge for me talking him out of doing the same thing a minute earlier." He almost laughed at that. Almost, but the half smile fell into a glare.

Not knowing how else to respond, she just asked another question. "Have there been any more voodoo instances?"

He locked eyes with her, and she had to resist the urge to fidget. "Not since you disappeared."

She stared at her legs when he continued to look at her. Was he trying to interrogate her? Was he angry? She couldn't tell, and her nerves were too fried to find out. Just keep asking question, she told herself. Questions made her seem calm and reasonable. Calm and reasonable was good. Much better than panic or depression. "Any news about Zero?"

"No," she could still feel his eyes on her. Definitely interrogation mode.

"I'm sorry, Cain," she said to her knees.

"I wish you'd stop saying that Princess," he sighed, and when he next spoke, his voice was quieter. He'd turned his head. "You don't need to be, and for as much as you apologize, the practice doesn't suit you."

"What do you mean?" she asked lifting her head to look at him.

"You . . . do. You were doing from the first moment I saw you, and you haven't stopped since. Anything you do wrong, you move to fix before anyone has the chance to reprimand you. It's slightly annoying actually."

She blushed at the perhaps-compliment but continued to argue, "I screwed up your life."

"Kid," he said exasperated, "Ahamo and Glitch might claim to have had peach sweet lives before the witch, but the rest of the O.Z. didn't. I had plenty of sorrow in my life before that tin suit."

"Like what?" she asked without thinking. "Sorry, I didn't mean –"

He raised a hand to stop her. "We're beyond social do's and don'ts Princess. Adora," he paused for a moment, "Adora's second pregnancy was a miscarriage. It hit us both pretty hard and made us realize Jeb was even grander than we thought before. Shame," he looked down at his hands which clenched a little. "I even had a name picked out for her."

"Really?" she scooted closer to him but stayed out of touching range. Finding Adora's grave after he'd been led to believe she was alive had reopened the wound for him if indeed it had ever really been closed, but for some reason the idea of Cain being the father of a little girl was utterly fascinating.

"Yeah. I knew a woman once; she was the strangest person I'd ever met. It was like she was totally unafraid of everything and totally unaware that some things were impossible." A small smile crept to his lips, "Well, until you ran into my life with a stick." DG narrowed her eyes at him. He was interrupting a deeply emotional moment to mock her. Cain continued after a moment, "She was the only girl I ever met who could take down Zero, and she even tried to order the mystic man around." She stared at him wide-eyed. There was no way he was describing her. His smile faded, "Being around her was the only time I questioned whether I was really in love with Adora."

It was a good thing he wasn't looking at her because her mouth wouldn't close. "What," she stopped and started again, "what happened to her?"

His hands clenched again, "I treated her badly and never got the chance to apologize. Doesn't matter though. Adora was the one for me, and my friend beat me to using the name anyway."

His friend? "Your friend."

"Yeah," again a small smile appeared, "he and the mystic man championed the resistance. There were times I thought they knew the witch was going to come to power before even she did."

She couldn't help herself, "What was his name?"

"Rhys Gatwick," he said and turned to her, "You would have liked him. He was a lot like you except with more sense and great deal more style."

"Hey," she said swatting at him even as she thought, you WOULD have liked him. Would have, not will. She waited a moment, "You said he had a family? What happened to him, to them?"

Cain considered his hands again, "Just a daughter. When the witch found out about him, he died trying to get her to safety. From what I heard later it didn't matter. The witch killed her too."

She hung her head. Rhys and the mystic man had known the witch was coming. She'd told them, and by telling them, she'd practically forced the resistance on them. He'd named his daughter for her, well sort of. How did that make her feel? It was like there was a hole in her stomach, toasty warm at the edges but cold and empty in the middle. Oh Rhys, I'm so sorry.

"You okay DG?" he asked. She lifted her head and nodded.

"So," she cleared her throat, "this daughter of his must have been something to be named after that woman."

He snorted, "Yeah, Gail was something, alright, although what that something was I'll never know." He stopped abruptly at the end of the sentence. She could see the gears kicking in motion. "Gail," he said and repeated louder, "Gail. Gail Theodora. DG!" he half growled as she moved to sink away. Crap, crap, crap. This was so not good.

He grabbed her arm and made sure she stayed put. "The first time I saw you, I thought I'd seen a ghost, but I couldn't figure of who. It was you." The intensity of his stare was scaring her.

"Cain, I'm sorry," she pleaded.

"I told you to stop," he growled, "enough apologies. That's where you were. Damn it, what were you doing there?"

Her own temper was sparking. Why was he so angry? "I told you there, and here, and I'm telling you now. I DON'T KNOW!"

"You were going to try to stop yourself from releasing the witch?!" he asked accusingly.

"Yes!" she shouted back.

"And what would that have done to you?!" he was shouting now too.

"It doesn't matter!"

"It matters to me!" he countered, and half a second later the import of his words hit both of them. They sat there staring at one another, still as statues and barely breathing. Then very, very slowly he leaned forward and cupped her cheek with his hand. Her breathing grew heavier, but she couldn't stop looking at him. He had the most incredible eyes; they were like a clear sky reflected in a glacier pool. Icy and intense yet irresistable. He leaned still further forward and placed a chaste kiss on her lips.


End file.
